Photo of the Day- "Memorial Day Biggie"

I celebrated a quiet Memorial Day along the bank today. I was rewarded with
this gorgeous fully scaled mirror.  Big carp are hitting in RI as several  RI CAG members
report big fish catches in the past couple of days.

A Disappointing May

May is supposed to be a great month for carp fishing here in the Northeast. But, so far it has not been for me. Most Mays I can put about 100 fish on the bank with many large ones in the mix.  So far, I have landed a disappointing 17 fish for the month with most of them on the small side. And, I have been out trying just about every day.  I've seen very little activity (fish jumping, bubble trails, fish swimming by).They are just not active and not hitting. The other day I put a pile of bait in some clear water right in front of me. I saw several carp swim right over it and they never stopped to eat.

Here's a recent catch coming ashore.  Fishing
has been off big time in May so far here in RI.

Some of it I blame on the coronvirus restrictions.  Lots of lakeside spots that I normally fish are closed and off limits to fishing.  I have not tried to travel to MA and CT waters where I have scored well in past Mays because of out-of-state travel restrictions. In addition, the weather has been crappy.  It's been all over the place.  There have been lots of wind and cold nights with little of no consistency to the weather. 

So, I know from experience that carp fishing can suddenly turn around and go from bad to terrific.  It looks like we are getting into a more favorable weather pattern in the next week.  I'm hoping that will improve the fishing.

Inconsistent Weather = Inconsistent Fishing

Here is my 300th carp for 2020. Fishing has been inconsistent
in May.

The weather in May is following the patterns of April.  It's all over the place. Warm, cold, wind, calm, rainy, sunny. It never seems to get in a consistent pattern, and that has really thrown off the carp fishing for me. On the few warm days, I did quite well, but when those nighttime temperatures dropped into the 30's the fishing fell off. Let's hope we get into a consistent weather pattern soon.
On a positive note, I landed my 300th carp of the year this week.  It was a nice looking 10 lb. mirror. I got it on a combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn fished on the hair rig.
By the way, I am now fishing with maize rather than sweet corn.  The pests (turtles, bluegills, horned pout) are now out in force, and the maize is more durable and lasts longer than the delicate sweet corn.

Not Always Good

This good size mirror, landed today, was my only carp in the
last six days.  Persistent cold weather has taken its toll.

I was on a roll in April until about a week ago.  Then, everything went downhill.  I tried a number of locations and different baits, but I was able to put only one carp on the bank in the last six days.  A friend of mine suggested that maybe the carp were practicing social distancing or doing the stay at home thing. Seriously, this has been real poor fishing for me.
I blame the weather for the lousy fishing.  At this time of year, dropping water temperatures are not good.  A lot of cold rain, cold nighttime temps and cool, windy days, has caused the carp to go into a funk.  Additionally, I have not been able to fish many of my April hotspots.  Some places are closed off to fishing due to corona virus restrictions. Some of my places in MA and CT are off limits to RI residents. And, high, high water in the Blackstone River due to rains have prevented me from fishing some of my river spots.
Still, I managed to bank 90 carp in April, a bit above average for me in April, so things are not all that gloomy. The key here is to stick with it as carp fishing, like the weather, will change in the warming days ahead.
Good luck if you get out and be safe.

The Ticket to Success

April is turning out to be a decent month for me.  I've landed good numbers of carp and had only one blank so far this month which is unusual with all this wild and cold weather. I've also been doing all my carpin' close to home and in state. The ticket for success for me has been one of my old favorites that I have written about a lot.  It is one white artificial corn along with one kernel of sweet corn on the hair rig (see photo at right). The artificial is at the end of the hair and locks in the delicate sweet corn.  Sometimes I use a method ball, sometimes I don't. The method is usually determined by the amount of turtles that are around. They are getting more brazen and active by the day as the water warms.  In the last two days I have landed 8 carp on this combo rig. Not big numbers but very steady fishing for me.

Catch of the Day

Here's a common from a new "walk to" location.  I have been out a lot finding
new spots to fish that are close to home. They are hitting!

Newsflash: RI Trout Fishing Suddenly Opens Up

Trout fishing season suddenly opened today in RI. Under normal circumstances, trout fishing would normally open the second Saturday in April, or April 11 this year.  The DEM wanted to avoid the big crowds that come out on Opening Day so they decided to go with a “soft” opening at mid week, similar to what CT did this year.  Smart move considering the coronavirus situation we are in.

There is a twist to this opening. DEM has said that you can fish for trout on odd/even calendar days.  If your last name begins with A to M, you should be fishing on even days.  If your last name begins with N to Z, you should fish on odd days.

There are other restrictions in effect. State parks are not open for parking, there should be no more that 5 people together and social distancing (at least 6 feet) are if effect. Additionally, trout will be stocked throughout the season but will not be publicized. They are also suggesting if a pond or lake is crowded, look for other areas which are not so crowded.

All of the details and information about this unusual trout opening can be found HERE.